Gun Control Myths Debunked

Gun Control Saves Lives.

Chicago and Mexico have very strict gun control laws. In Mexico there is a total gun ban for private citizens, with the exception being that certain hunting long guns are allowed to be owned with a special permit. Both of these places have extremely high gun murder and gun crime rates.

Your gun is more likely to kill you or someone you love than an intruder.
According to the National Institute of Justice’s report “Guns in America: National Survey on Private Ownership and Use of Firearms,” guns are used over 1.5 million times each year in self defense. With gun murders running at about 10,000 a year, this evidence illustrates that firearms are used 40 times more often for protection than for murder.

We would all be safer if there were fewer guns.
Switzerland has one of the lowest gun crime rates in the world, even though nearly every adult citizen is issued a rifle by the government. Conversely, Mexico has a near total gun ban, and one of the highest gun crime and murder rates in the world! Florida has the Stand Your Ground statute, and the state’s gun laws generally favor gun ownership and concealed carry, with one of the lowest gun crime rates in the country. Conversely, Chicago has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, along with the highest gun murder rate.

Handguns are 43 times more likely to kill a member of your own family than an intruder.
The study by Arthur Kellermann from which this statistic originates does not actually say that. The number includes suicides, which drives this statistic. There is no evidence that if guns are taken away, suicide rates will decline, as other methods of self harm can easily be pursued.

The police have a duty to, and can, protect us.
Courts have decided that police generally have no obligation to defend us against physical assault, or respond to emergency calls. Just take this recent case in New York, where an innocent victem was being brutally stabbed on a subway by a serial murderer, while an armed New York City police officer watched idly by. New York police chief later defended the inaction by the officer, on the grounds that the police do not have a duty to protect citizens.

The average citizen with a gun is a bigger threat to himself and others than a criminal is. Safety should always be the number one priority when handling a gun, or any weapon. Just as people learn to operate a vehicle safely, people can also learn to operate a firearm safely. Be sure to get the proper instruction and training before handing any firearm. See our gun safety page for more information.